Tail-piece for guitars



(No Model.)

M. KERSTEN. TAIL PIECE FOR GUITARS.

No. 463,631. Patented Nov 24, 1891.

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citizen of the United States, residing at Sa- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARZELL KERSTEN, OF SAVANNA, ILLINOIS.

TAIL-PIECE FOR GUITARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,631, dated November 24, 1891.

Application filed September '7, 1391. Serial No. 405,025. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, MARZELL KERSTEN, a

Vanna, in the county of Carroll and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Tail- Iiece for Guitars, &o., of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to musical instruments, and more especially to guitars and the like, and the object thereof is to provide an improved tail-piece for instruments of this character.

To this end the invention consists in the tail-piece hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as illustrated on the sheet of drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective View of a guitar with my invention applied. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view thereof with the cap removed and two strings shown in place. Fig. Fig. 4 is a perspective detail of parts.

Referring to the said drawings, the letter G designates a guitar in the present instance, although with a slight change in'the construction of the present invention the instru ment might be a banjo, a violin, or a mandolin without departing from the spirit of my The strings on such instruments, as are well known, are secured at one end to tuning-pins in the neck, may or may not pass over a bridgefjaccording to the instrument, and are fastened at their other ends to a tailpiece at the larger end of the body of the instrument. On guitars such tail-piece is a transverse strip T with plugs P fitting into holes therein and holding the strings, all as well known to those familiar therewith.

The present invention contemplates the provision of an improved tail-piece which may be applied to guitars now in use, and whereby after the strings are tuned they may be all let down or loosened, as is desirable,when the player wishes to set the guitar aside for the time being. This I accomplish as follows: B is-a bracket, which may be secured as by screws to the end of the body of the instrument, and swiveled through this bracket is a screw S. The outer end of the latter has a head or handle H, while its threaded inner end takes into and through a nut N, which is secured within an adjustable member A.

for the same purpose.

The front end of this member is turned up and to the rear, as at U, and provided with cuts, slits, or openings O,through which the strings are to be passed, but through which their knotted ends cannot pull, as will be clear. To prevent their displacement and to finish the ornamentation ofthe device, a cap C is passed over this turned-up end, a slot S in the cap passing over a button B, and the latter is then turned across the slot to hold the cap in place. As the screw is turned this adjustable member is drawn to the rear to tighten the strings simultaneously, or when the screw is turned in the opposite direction the strings will be loosened.

To adapt the device to guitars now in use, I provide another base member M, having teeth or prongs P in its front end,which may be stuck into or under the transverse strip T, as shown, and the body of this member passes beneath that of the adjustable member and prevents the latter from scratching the instrument as it is moved. The ends of the head of this base member are turned up, as at U, and the ends ofthe head of the adjustable member engage loosely thereunder, so that the members shall be maintained in proper relative position. The head of the base member has also upturned ears E E, the former of which is perforated to receive the shaft of the roller Rand the latter slotted This member being applied in place, the strings are fastened in the member A, the roller passed over them and into place, and the screw turned to give the desired tension to all the strings, after which each may be tightened to tune the instrument.

The device is preferably of metal suitably painted, japanned, nickeled, o'r silvered, and it may be otherwise ornamented either in shape or design without departing from the spirit of my invention. It can be made and sold as an article of manufacture, as it is adaptable to guitars now 011 the market, and its application and use are simple while its advantages are obvious.

What is claimed as the salient features are 1. In a tail-piece for guitars and the like, the combination, with a bracket and a screw swiveled therethrough, of an adjustable mem-= ber and a nut therein engaging the threads of the screw, the front end of the member be ing turned up and to the rear and provided with slits, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a tail-piece for guitars and the like, the combination, with a member having its front end turned up and to the rear and provided with slits, and means for adjusting said member longitudinally, of a cap removably fitting over said upturned end, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A tail-piece forguitars and the like, consisting of a member having its front end turned up and to the rear and provided with slits, a button on said member, and a cap litting removably over said upturned end and having a slot through which said button passes, substantially as described.

4. In a tail-piece for guitars and the like, the combination,with a base member detachably engaging the guitarand having upturn ed edges, of an adjustable member, its edges engaging loosely under those of the base member, the strings being attached to said adj ustable member, and means for moving this member, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. I11 a tail-piece for guitars and the like, the combinatiomwith a base member having prongs at its front end, of an adjustable member sliding on the base member, the strings being attached to the adjustable member, and a screw and nut for moving it, as and for the purpose set forth.

(3. In a tail-piece for guitars and the lik the combination, with a base member having at the ends of its head ears, one of which is perforated and the other slotted, and a roller whose shaft removably engages said ears, of an adjustable member sliding on the base member, means for moving it, and a lock for the strings located on the head of the adj ustable member in rear of said roller, as and for the purpose hereinbefore setforth.

-7. A tail-piece for guitars and the like, consisting of a member having its front end turned up and to the-rear and provided with slit-s, and a cap fitting removably over said upturned end, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signaturein presence of. two witnesses.

MARZELL KERSTEN. Witnesses:

SIMON GREENLEAF, FRANK S. GREENLEAF. 

